PROJECT 3: GRAND OPENING

EVENTS BY

ERIQA By: Er iqa Burson

PRESS RELEASE

Chesterfield, VA- April 15, 2019---Events By Eriqa (EBE) announces the grand opening of their new wedding and event designing business. EBEpartners with wedding planners that specialize in planning but not design. EBE’s aim is to ensure that their customers experience the specialday that they’ve always dreamed of. Owner, Eriqa Burson, has been a wedding and event designer for over a year and has been a certified wedding and event planner for two.Despite only having a couple years of experience in the wedding and event planning field, Eriqa has assisted and helped plan numerous eventsand has worked with several different wedding and event planning companies. As a result of being a recent graduate of VCU, Eriqa didn’t knowhow she was going to handle starting and running a new business in a popular industry. However, she has managed to do so and is constantlyexpanding her knowledge in the industry. “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can dothis,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.”-       Marissa Mayer, Former CEO, Yahoo Events By Eriqa offers a ton of services for their customers ranging from partial assistance to full design. They even have additional resourcesfor newly engaged couples who are looking to form a foundation and build from the ground up. The company prides itself on their mission toprovide all customers with the resources to have their dream event. In addition, EBE plans to partner with local wedding and event plannerswho may need assistance with the design aspect of the process. These events can be weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, or evenfundraising events. They plan to do it all and exceed their customers expectations. Events By Eriqa will be holding their grand opening at Main Street Station on May 15th. This event will provide existing event planners with theopportunity to meet Eriqa and others in the industry. Not only will the company’s previous work be displayed, but there will be light horsd'oeurves and chances to win prizes. Please RSVP by May 1st by contacting EBE’s main office at (804) 888-2735 or email ateventsbyeriqa@gmail.com.

For Immediate Release

Events By EriqaCalling all event planners, newly engaged couples, and others!

Biography Eriqa Burson, a 22-year-old woman, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She is an only child with strong ties to her parents, and grandparents. Her hobbies

include reading, playing sports, and being around friends and family. She graduated high school with an advanced diploma and attended VirginiaCommonwealth University (VCU) to receive a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship, with a minor in Real Estate, and a certificate in Venture and Creation.Despite her education always being her main priority, Eriqa is currently engaged to her boyfriend of 4 years and is planning a summer wedding in 2020.

 Trying to figure out what career path she wanted to take, Eriqa struggled with choosing a major in college. However, due to her passion for design, shedecided to enroll in a wedding and event planning course taught at VCU. Despite her being interested in design, she wanted to earn the logistics behind

wedding and event planning first. A couple of months later, she received her certification in wedding and event planning to go along with her degree. It wasthen that she decided that she would like to open her own business. However, Eriqa wanted to gain some more experience first before jumping headfirst into

a major commitment like this. 

Shortly after receiving her certification, Eriqa decided to spend a few years working for different wedding and event planning companies to get a feel for theindustry. It was then that she realized that design was truly what she wanted to do. So, she went back to school to further her education in design and opened

her business. Eriqa has always been the one to be hesitant when trying new things. However, she found her passion and decided to run with it and now, herbusiness is expanding and she’s getting ready to share it all with her high school sweetheart.

 “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this, and you

push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.”-       Marissa Mayer, Former CEO, Yahoo

Mission StatementEvents By Eriqa is a company that partners with other existing wedding & event planners to design the perfect eventfor their clients.No matter what your style or vision is, we will work to ensure that your event is everything you hoped for and more.Our mission is to provide our clients with the services needed to produce the most memorable and dream-worthyevent no matter how big or small.

EXISTING WEDDING & EVENT PLANNERSAND OTHERS

TARGET MARKET

Because Events By Eriqa is a company that partners with existing wedding & event planners andvendors, they are our target market. For this event, we are inviting existing wedding & event

planners who may be looking for someone to focus specifically on the design aspect of planning anevent. We are inviting some vendors to show that we can design spaces for them as well whetherit’s for an event or for advertisement. We are also inviting newly engaged couples who may be

looking for something to plan and design their wedding, as well as others who are looking for hold aspecial event.

ANTICIPATON

Flyers will be posted on social media for prospective clients and hand delivered to existing event planners to inform them about the event. This flyer will

have RSVP information on it as well as information about the event. Admission will be $15 and 10% of the proceeds will be donated to a chosen charity.

Attendance for this event is limited so everyone will have an opportunity to mix and mingle. Reminder postcards will be sent out to everyone that did RSVP

for the event and they will be required to bring them to get in the event.

ARRIVALUpon arrival guests will receive a complementary glass

of champagne or a non-alcoholic beverage if requested

and a ticket for the drawing at the end of the event.

They will also take a picture in front of a custom-made

backdrop. If they are a vendor or have their own

business, they can put their business card in the

designated bowl for a drawing later that night. All

prospective brides will also be eligible for a grand prize

drawing at the end of the night.

Atmosphere The atmosphere will be fun and exciting – high energy. Guests

will be networking and hearing the backstory of the company.

There will also be a place where guests can look at pictures of

the planning process and work behind the scenes & learn about

company services, what we can do, and events that we have

organized in the past for customers. There will also be a speech

by the owner and a toast.

Appetite

There will be a wide variety of Hors D’'oeuvres being served and there will be deserts decorated with the company

colors.  This desert bar will be done by a vendor who we will feature during this event. This is a good way to display

the vendor's work and allow them to gain new clients.

Amusement

There will be an open bar, live music, and socializing. Different vendors will be

able to mingle with the customers and display their expertise. Two business cards

will be drawn for special prizes to show our appreciation. One future bride will be

selected for a grand prize at the end of the evening. Coupons will also be

distributed to help encourage guests to use our services.

Appreciation

Guests will receive a goody bag with company paraphernalia.There will be t-shirts, travel cups, pens, and coasters with the

company logo.

Business Cards

Brochure

Social Media

https://bursone.wixsite.com/eventsbyeriqa

Blog

Philanthropic OpportunitiesI plan to give back by donating to different businesses and organizations herein Richmond, VA. There are several organizations that want to help people. I'mnot opposed to donating to more than one business. Everyone deserves help

in every way possible. Not only do I plan to donate, but I plan to holdfundraisers and participate in community service projects that are being held

in the Richmond area.The Jackson Foundation is one organization that I plan to contribute to. Thefounder of the organization wants to make a difference in education, socialservices, historic preservation, cultural arts, the environment, public policy

issues, and more. These are all topics that will strengthen the community inthe future.

Every time EBE holds an event, a different organization is chosen fordonation. As a result, EBE is able to help multiple organizations by providing

them with any additional resources. If you have any suggestions fororganizations that we can donate to, please let us know by completing and

returning this name card.

You may contact Events By Eriqa via

the following information:

(804) 888-2735

eventsbyeriqa@gmail.com

www.events_byeriqa.com

Also, feel free to follow us on any of

our social media pages!

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

LinkedIn

Essay This project was the most interesting in my opinion because I got to think about different things that I would do if this was my personal grand opening event. It

allowed me to show my vision for this type of event. Having a designing business would be a dream come true because it’s my passion and I’ve always wanted to

do something special for people. So, our mission is to provide our clients with the services needed to produce the most memorable and dream-worthy event no

matter how big or small. No matter what the client’s style or vision is, we will work to ensure that their event is everything you hoped for and more.

 

For the event, I have several ideas that I wanted to include, but I had to be realistic. So, my goal was to display our talents and pair it with a fun and relaxed

environment. For anticipation, I loved the idea of posting flyers on social media and hand delivering some because it shows that we are in tune with social media,

while adding a personal and old fashion touch. For the arrival and atmosphere, I wanted to have a fun and exciting environment from start to finish. I also

wanted to be able to showcase our talents along with the other vendors that we are working with for the evening. For amusement, to keep this fun and exciting

atmosphere, I thought giving everyone the opportunity to win prizes would be an added bonus. For those who don’t win a gift, they will still be given a souvenir

for attending the event.

 

My hope for this event was to share our future vision for our company and how we planned to get there. Not only is everyone there a potential client or business

partner but are a part of our brand. They are contributing to our brand image that we are setting for everyone else to see. We are a company that consists of

talented individuals and that may not be offered by other companies. Our clients are our main priority and we take pride in the relationships that we create with

them. We get to know them and their interests in order to provide them with their dream event no matter what services we are providing them with.

 

A positive image is what we want to have in the public eye, and we plan to do this through getting to know our clients and donating to our community. Events By

Eriqa donates to a number or charities and organizations in the Richmond area to help those who are in need. Not only is this how we approach the concept of

donating, but this is how we approach our clients as well. We believe in providing the service to ensure that we make their dreams a reality.